Central Island National Park Travel

Central Island is a volcanic island that rises right at the centre of Lake Turkana. It is a collection of craters and cones some of which have been seen emitting molten sulphur as recently as 1974. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site as one of the Lake Turkana National Parks. The others are Sibiloi National Park and the South Island. Lake Turkana is the second largest desert lake in the world and the most saline in East Africa. The Island has three lakes formed inside the calderas; Crocodile Lake, Flamingo Lake and Tilapia Lake.

Central Island is also known as Crocodile Island owing to its role as the breeding ground for the over 1400 Nile crocodiles. The park covers 500ha of scrubby salvadora bush, with rocky and sandy shores as its perimeter. The island is an important staging post for migrating birds like warblers and wagtails. It also has a breeding population of African skimmer, which nests in banks.

How to get to Crater Lake National Park

Lake Turkana is 800 km from Nairobi. You can travel by road via the Nairobi-Moyale road or from Maralal to Loiengalani through Baragoi and South Horr. You could also take a flight to one of two airstrips at Sibiloi.
On getting to the lake, you will need to take a boat from Sibiloi National Park or from Lodwar.